Kotoya Ramen

Really small spot so prepare to either wait for a seat or take to go. The wait is not too long though and service is quick. Plus it’s worth the wait! Ordered the white garlic ramen - super delicious and noodles are crazy fresh.

Amazing ramen. My favorite in west LA (yep better than sawtelle!) I frequented here pre pandemic and was curious about how they were doing now. The ramen is just as amazing as ever. We were lucky and didn’t have to wait when we came Saturday for dinner, around 7pm. Highly recommend the spicy miso, white garlic, and spicy vegetarian. The vegetarian ramen was incredibly flavorful and had tons of depth. Ordering is via a tablet and then you seat yourself. Self serve water inside by the entrance.

Amazing base and noodles. Was deciding between the white and black garlic, eventually picked the former, and was super happy with my choice (I should add that it's solidly garlicky). You pay extra to add an egg or extra noodles/corn, etc, but it's worth it. Since there's only counter space for about 8 and two 2-tops, there's bound to be a wait, but service is fast, so even though there were five parties ahead of us, our wait time was about 10-15 minutes.

Best Ramen on the west side, in my opinion. A bit pricey, but that’s ramen in LA. Spicy is very spicy so I prefer it without, but after two visits I’d say this place is solid. 日本語も大丈夫そうです！

+ Conclusion: Worth a visit if you live in the area or order delivery + 1. Not expensive. 2. Fast. 3. Tasty and satisfying 4. The girl working is very nice. - 1. Problem with parking. 2. in my opinion, it needs to be updated and done some general cleaning

Have been to 3 out of the 4 islands of Japan. Hard to find good authentic ramen in the states, but Kotoya does it justice. Very friendly staff, delicious eel cooked noodles, and the picturesque drops of fat in a very tasty balanced broth!

It’s a small spot so you go in as a table empties but it’s such a cute vibe that feels like you’re not in California anymore. We both got a spicy level of 3 & it’s was DAMN good with the right amount of spice. I got the original ramen & it was the best version of og that I’ve had. Tried some of the gyoza as well & wasn’t disappointed. Definitely would come back!

This place is like Sawtelle: Part II. But it's also better, in some ways. It's less crowded and the food is at least just as good. Have I said too much already? Too much hype? I'll keep going. As for parking, it's not great, but you should be able to find residential parking within walking distance. There's not much seating, but I went here mid-week with a friend in the pouring rain because we are so brave and hungry, and we got seated almost instantly. Of course, that wasn't before some strange lady outside squawked at us that THERE ARE NO SEATS AND YOU HAVE TO WAIT OUTSIDE. Don't listen to her though. She's wrong. I got the...I don't remember the name. This probably lowers the credibility of my review but it was chashu and seaweed and noodles and broth, and I added chicken to it. It was delicious. The broth reminded me of the fattiness of Tsujita, but without the wet dog smell -- sorry, Tsujita fans. Anyway, the prices are about the same as Sawtelle, they take credit cards, and the staff is easy going. I have no complaints.

I love this ramen place. The broth was super decadent and flavourful. Don't get me started with their chashu. It was buttery and melt in your mouth goodness. You can accustomed your spice level with a few extra charge (in which I don't mind by the way because the spicy chili they're using is out of this world). Mind you, this is a very very tiny restaurant hence it won't be good for a party larger than 4. So if you're coming with a larger party, better do take away. Also they have this rule that each guest needs to order their own ramen bowl. I guess it's understandable since if you're not eating and just sit in their table, they won't be able to sit an actual guest who is there to eat (again must be because they're a very small restaurant). I always feel welcome here by the staff. People that complained about the service of this place need to learn etiquette. If you're being rude, you'll be treated rudely in return.

You know me, you know I love garlic, THE WHITE GARLIC RAMEN WAS UNREAL!! Guys listen up: thick Al dente noodles, wow-seriously-incredible-Broth, corn, and all sorts of ramen standards, but the pepper was so on point. 10/10 will be back soon. It’s a small spot so bring a cute date and get cozy. I highly recommend trying the egg and make your bowl a large! Enjoy!!

Nice place for a quick Ramen. Not very busy on Sunday. Probably better for take out than dine in. I ordered Spicy Ramen with chicken (it is spicy 🥵).

As a Japanese person, I can definitely recommend this place! The ramen is not greasy and this was one of the few time where I did not feel like my stomach was taking a hit. Great staff, great price, great atmosphere and easy in easy out.

TL:DR - Top Tonkotsu Ramen Shop in LA, that looks, feels, and tastes like a proper no frills ramen-ya. It's a must try if you like thick and rich tonkotsu broth. 🐖 🍜 I've been up and down Sawtelle, around Little Tokyo, and through the Westside, and I can confidently say it's one of the top ramen spots for tonkotsu ramen in Los Angeles. Broth temperature was spot on. Perfect for slurping; not too hot to burn you, but not cool enough to go cold before you finish the bowl. The mouth feel of the broth was very good and coated the noodles, and your mouth, with a viscosity somewhere around 5-7% brix. Soy tare was well seasoned and slightly sweet which nicely balanced out the broth. The tender charshu was cut at about 1/4" thickness, and had a balanced smoky flavor. Noodles were medium well, slightly softer than al dente, with the classic wavy texture, but also thicker than what is usually served with tonkotsu broth. Noodle color was lighter in color compared to the classic alkaline wavy noodle with a cleaner "fresh noodle" taste. We had lunch on a Thursday around 3pm, and the restaurant was empty. Service was sparse with one person, possibly the owner, but considerate and to the point. Perfect for what I'm wanting out of a quick bowl of ramen during lunch. Overall, the entire bowl with all its ingredients was well balanced. The food came out quick and hot, which sadly to say, doesn't seem to happen very often at all the other "ramen" shops in LA.

Amazing ramen. I love how the ordering and seating is similar to Japan. They have some tvs inside so it can be a great place to eat and watch a game.

Wow, what a wonderful gem. The broth is so delicious, the pork unbelievable, noodle are perfectly chewy. So good! The guy running the joint is super nice too. Spice levels are white boy spicy, so go deep if you like spice. Like 50% or higher.

Laid back spot for ramen. Vegan ramen is super flavorful and has 2 fried tofu chicken in it which are also very good. You can get regular or spicy and adjust the spicy level. Ordering is on a kiosk and you can sit outside or inside.

I really loved this place! A little bit on the pricey side of ramen, but definitely worth it for the price! I don’t usually go for tonkotsu ramen, but this actually tasted like a ramen place in Japan. In reminded me of the food I had there years ago! Ordering outside also reminded me of ordering food in japan and it even hands you a “ticket” (your receipt) like as if you were getting a food ticket in Japan! Absolutely love! The service was really great with it being relatively quick and very nice. I will definitely be coming back more times and even want to try their $30 Kotoya Ramen! There was not a lot of parking available for its patrons with only parking in the neighborhood or street parking on a fairly busy street, but for a weekend lunch, it was fairly easy to get a street parking.

Absolutely amazing food!!! Vegan ramen is so on point and I finished my veeeery generous portion for the 1st time ever. We had also Tonkatsu ramen, tofu bites and edamame with garlic and they were super delicious. This is my favourite ramen place in town. If you want gooooood food come here- I promise you!

Delicious spicy broth ramen. Very small seating only about 13 seats total. Order via iPad outside or inside. Pretty quick delivery of food. Would be nice if the egg was soft boiled and some more toppings included for the price we paid. Pretty good bowl of ramen!

So delicious!! I got the vegan ramen with a seasoned egg and the broth was so flavorful (rare for vegan ramen) and the noodles were the perfect texture. The fried tofu was excellent. My partner got the katsu curry and loved it. We also got the shrimp tempura, which was probably the crispiest shrimp tempura I've ever had!! I'll definitely be going back and also thinking about this regularly. The atmosphere was lovely for a rainy day and service was fast and great.

cute little noodle shop. the food came fast. unlike other “authentic” ramen, their ramen leans more on the less greasy side, which is nice when you’re looking for some light, yet flavorful broth. the black garlic ramen was absolutely bomb.

It was delicious. The girl who works there was very friendly and helpful.

After 1 year of this post being up I realized that this review is actually linked to the wrong place. The following review is for Hinodeya ramen. —-> Garlic chips are slightly addictive The chasu pork was amazing And the service/atmosphere is immaculate Cute and quaint spot perfect for a date night or if you wanted to go out for a bite to eat alone

Very good ramen. Love the style. There is plenty of indoor and outdoor seating. Much respect for the hard-working staff.

John Kim

TL:DR - Top Tonkotsu Ramen Shop in LA, that looks, feels, and tastes like a proper no frills ramen-ya. It's a must try if you like thick and rich tonkotsu broth. 🐖 🍜 I've been up and down Sawtelle, around Little Tokyo, and through the Westside, and I can confidently say it's one of the top ramen spots for tonkotsu ramen in Los Angeles. Broth temperature was spot on. Perfect for slurping; not too hot to burn you, but not cool enough to go cold before you finish the bowl. The mouth feel of the broth was very good and coated the noodles, and your mouth, with a viscosity somewhere around 5-7% brix. Soy tare was well seasoned and slightly sweet which nicely balanced out the broth. The tender charshu was cut at about 1/4" thickness, and had a balanced smoky flavor. Noodles were medium well, slightly softer than al dente, with the classic wavy texture, but also thicker than what is usually served with tonkotsu broth. Noodle color was lighter in color compared to the classic alkaline wavy noodle with a cleaner "fresh noodle" taste. We had lunch on a Thursday around 3pm, and the restaurant was empty. Service was sparse with one person, possibly the owner, but considerate and to the point. Perfect for what I'm wanting out of a quick bowl of ramen during lunch. Overall, the entire bowl with all its ingredients was well balanced. The food came out quick and hot, which sadly to say, doesn't seem to happen very often at all the other "ramen" shops in LA.

M T

Amazing ramen. I love how the ordering and seating is similar to Japan. They have some tvs inside so it can be a great place to eat and watch a game.

Leila Cooper

Wow, what a wonderful gem. The broth is so delicious, the pork unbelievable, noodle are perfectly chewy. So good! The guy running the joint is super nice too. Spice levels are white boy spicy, so go deep if you like spice. Like 50% or higher.

Zabrina Gitana

Laid back spot for ramen. Vegan ramen is super flavorful and has 2 fried tofu chicken in it which are also very good. You can get regular or spicy and adjust the spicy level. Ordering is on a kiosk and you can sit outside or inside.

Ironclad Cat7599

I really loved this place! A little bit on the pricey side of ramen, but definitely worth it for the price! I don’t usually go for tonkotsu ramen, but this actually tasted like a ramen place in Japan. In reminded me of the food I had there years ago! Ordering outside also reminded me of ordering food in japan and it even hands you a “ticket” (your receipt) like as if you were getting a food ticket in Japan! Absolutely love! The service was really great with it being relatively quick and very nice. I will definitely be coming back more times and even want to try their $30 Kotoya Ramen! There was not a lot of parking available for its patrons with only parking in the neighborhood or street parking on a fairly busy street, but for a weekend lunch, it was fairly easy to get a street parking.

Sarah B

So delicious!! I got the vegan ramen with a seasoned egg and the broth was so flavorful (rare for vegan ramen) and the noodles were the perfect texture. The fried tofu was excellent. My partner got the katsu curry and loved it. We also got the shrimp tempura, which was probably the crispiest shrimp tempura I've ever had!! I'll definitely be going back and also thinking about this regularly. The atmosphere was lovely for a rainy day and service was fast and great.

Ruslana Veliz

Absolutely amazing food!!! Vegan ramen is so on point and I finished my veeeery generous portion for the 1st time ever. We had also Tonkatsu ramen, tofu bites and edamame with garlic and they were super delicious. This is my favourite ramen place in town. If you want gooooood food come here- I promise you!

Aaron Leong

Delicious spicy broth ramen. Very small seating only about 13 seats total. Order via iPad outside or inside. Pretty quick delivery of food. Would be nice if the egg was soft boiled and some more toppings included for the price we paid. Pretty good bowl of ramen!

Andrew Bai

cute little noodle shop. the food came fast. unlike other “authentic” ramen, their ramen leans more on the less greasy side, which is nice when you’re looking for some light, yet flavorful broth. the black garlic ramen was absolutely bomb.

Polina Mara

It was delicious. The girl who works there was very friendly and helpful.

Skye

After 1 year of this post being up I realized that this review is actually linked to the wrong place. The following review is for Hinodeya ramen. —-> Garlic chips are slightly addictive The chasu pork was amazing And the service/atmosphere is immaculate Cute and quaint spot perfect for a date night or if you wanted to go out for a bite to eat alone

No joke, the best ramen in LA. It’s not that fancy expensive ramen that you over pay for. This is real deal, absolutely delicious, true love for ramen - ramen. Small intimate spot where you can see the chef putting intense attention into every bowl. You can tell he loves his craft, and hot dang, you can taste it. 10/10

This is the kind of food that makes you stop multitasking and relish it til the last drop, then sit back and bask in it. It cured my cold, aligned my chakras, and saved my marriage. The pork is perfect and the egg is a religious experience. My only regret is that I didn't know about this place sooner.

Truly a gem. Delicious, well priced and cozy atmosphere. Some of the best ramen I've found by chance. 10/10

Jamie Martin

Truly a gem. Delicious, well priced and cozy atmosphere. Some of the best ramen I've found by chance. 10/10

barb noren

This is the kind of food that makes you stop multitasking and relish it til the last drop, then sit back and bask in it. It cured my cold, aligned my chakras, and saved my marriage. The pork is perfect and the egg is a religious experience. My only regret is that I didn't know about this place sooner.

nachman elharar

No joke, the best ramen in LA. It’s not that fancy expensive ramen that you over pay for. This is real deal, absolutely delicious, true love for ramen - ramen. Small intimate spot where you can see the chef putting intense attention into every bowl. You can tell he loves his craft, and hot dang, you can taste it. 10/10

A cozy and quick ramen shop selling simple ramen to satisfy your craving. They are a small restaurant with a focus on to-go orders since they are only allowing seating outside (literally 4 seats) that's first come, first served with Phase II of the COVID plan for LA County. I went here with my bros and got the White Garlic Ramen and Black Garlic Ramen. The Black Garlic Ramen is on the salter side, but has deeper flavor. It was a bit too salty for my taste tho. The White Garlic Ramen was lighter and garlicky with a good amount of flavor too! You can also add extra fresh garlic to bump it up even more. So, vampires beware!! I definitely would add the soft boiled egg too. Really well done and super tasty.

Delicious!! The perfect place if you’re down for a fast and tasty meal ... sit, eat, and leave. Not a social event. Yes, ramen places in Japan are like this. The staff are friendlier but the customers don’t talk while enjoying their ramen. They leave quickly so that the next customer gets to eat too! Efficient!

I had the black garlic oil ramen with an egg. The broth was good, it was salty and had a thick body. The staff was friendly and the service was super fast. If I lived in the neighborhood I can imagine I would stop in frequently.

Great ramen, not very friendly service. Small place, simple. You go there for the ramen, don't expect great service. Also each person has to order a dish, there's no splitting food or check.

Something here reminds me of the old school ramen places on Sawtelle, even though this place is not on Sawtelle. The loads of toppings, the style of the noodles, the whole execution feels very familiar. Outdoor seating is a little patio with a high top and wood tones, and a touch screen outside to order and pay. Given it's right off the street it could be noisy, but wasn't too bad this most recent visit. It's a solid ramen but not as fashionable or hip as the newer places, with a fairly rich (but not excessively so) broth. Hint: if you want tons of ginger, this is not the place for you.

Solid, solid tonkotsu ramen. It’s a great go-to spot if you’ve run out of ideas on where to eat. The servers and cooks behind the counter are all Japanese, which always provide a sense of reassurance to me, personally haha. Parking can get a little tough around meal time, might need to park further south on Motor Ave.

The ramen was great! Portions were good, broth was nice, noodles were cooked well. Toppings, however, are limited to only 3. I got the curry ramen which was different but unique. Also got garlic edamame...for the price it was a small portion but tasted great. The service was fast. You order through tablets outside or inside. Reminiscent of Japan. There's bar seating and a couple booths inside with additional seating outside. The space is very cozy and welcoming. Downside is parking. Its only street parking or if youre lucky the lot across the street.

This place serves probably the best tasting spicy ramen I have ever had 🍜. Customer service is efficient, our food was served in 5 minutes. The restroom 🚻 was clean. However, the place can get crowded very quickly because of how small the restaurant is and parking can be quite challenging (street parking only). Food (there is a reasonable amount of selection, but we only tried 1 dish: - Spicy Miso Ramen (10/10): Like I mentioned earlier. This is probably the best spicy ramen I have ever tasted. Wow, the broth is savory and addicting, I actually finished my ramen down to the last drop of the broth 🥣! Noodles were mildly chewy and tasted awesome! Their chasiu had very little fats, which was great! Finally, the portion served was very generous! Overall, I love the ramen here 🍜, the only I wish was better was the parking! TIPS: If you want iced water, you could do self service. it'll be to your right when you enter.

Good neighborhood spot with chewy noodles and a flavorful soup, albeit a bit salty for some. The chef looks to be dedicated to his craft and it really shows in the ramen. The meat is well braised and the ramen eggs have an orange liquidy goodness to them. We do still prefer the soup at Santouka Ramen

No wait for a Saturday noon and you had to order outside of the store on the iPad. Overall heavy flavour and made me want to drink water even after a few hours. The chicken was soft and cooked just right and the egg was amazing. The noodle was a bit too hard for me. A good hangover food option and the tip was built in at 15% to the bill. Will go again if no mood for other food but won’t crave for it.

Mike

The ramen was great! Portions were good, broth was nice, noodles were cooked well. Toppings, however, are limited to only 3. I got the curry ramen which was different but unique. Also got garlic edamame...for the price it was a small portion but tasted great. The service was fast. You order through tablets outside or inside. Reminiscent of Japan. There's bar seating and a couple booths inside with additional seating outside. The space is very cozy and welcoming. Downside is parking. Its only street parking or if youre lucky the lot across the street.

Hendra W

This place serves probably the best tasting spicy ramen I have ever had 🍜. Customer service is efficient, our food was served in 5 minutes. The restroom 🚻 was clean. However, the place can get crowded very quickly because of how small the restaurant is and parking can be quite challenging (street parking only). Food (there is a reasonable amount of selection, but we only tried 1 dish: - Spicy Miso Ramen (10/10): Like I mentioned earlier. This is probably the best spicy ramen I have ever tasted. Wow, the broth is savory and addicting, I actually finished my ramen down to the last drop of the broth 🥣! Noodles were mildly chewy and tasted awesome! Their chasiu had very little fats, which was great! Finally, the portion served was very generous! Overall, I love the ramen here 🍜, the only I wish was better was the parking! TIPS: If you want iced water, you could do self service. it'll be to your right when you enter.

Jeff Tong

Good neighborhood spot with chewy noodles and a flavorful soup, albeit a bit salty for some. The chef looks to be dedicated to his craft and it really shows in the ramen. The meat is well braised and the ramen eggs have an orange liquidy goodness to them. We do still prefer the soup at Santouka Ramen

Lucy Lu

No wait for a Saturday noon and you had to order outside of the store on the iPad. Overall heavy flavour and made me want to drink water even after a few hours. The chicken was soft and cooked just right and the egg was amazing. The noodle was a bit too hard for me. A good hangover food option and the tip was built in at 15% to the bill. Will go again if no mood for other food but won’t crave for it.

Brian Won

Something here reminds me of the old school ramen places on Sawtelle, even though this place is not on Sawtelle. The loads of toppings, the style of the noodles, the whole execution feels very familiar. Outdoor seating is a little patio with a high top and wood tones, and a touch screen outside to order and pay. Given it's right off the street it could be noisy, but wasn't too bad this most recent visit. It's a solid ramen but not as fashionable or hip as the newer places, with a fairly rich (but not excessively so) broth. Hint: if you want tons of ginger, this is not the place for you.

I've been coming to this place for years and only recently something has changed with the Pork they use in the Ramen. It used to be super tender, so much so that I could break it with my chopsticks, now it's thick and chewy :( Another reviewer actually pointed this out too and I've been here twice since just to make sure it wasn't a one off, unfortunately it seems like a permanent change. The ramen is still very good, I'll just be ordering Tofu from now on.

Nice lil ramen shop with back to basic approach with the bar style seating. I ordered the spicy ramen bowl lv 3 hot ( perfect amount heat ) extra ramen Presentation was eye pleasing. Noodles were good Broth was a bit heavy on the black pepper side of things & so was the chashu

Hector Morales

Nice lil ramen shop with back to basic approach with the bar style seating. I ordered the spicy ramen bowl lv 3 hot ( perfect amount heat ) extra ramen Presentation was eye pleasing. Noodles were good Broth was a bit heavy on the black pepper side of things & so was the chashu

I was eating here about 2-3 timesamonth until today when I fished a quarter out of the bittum of my soup. Absolutely disgusting. As I am sure it is not intentional I find this completely unacceptable.